Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1887-03-27
c1ApKsBuRe.s rRouBLE.
The Story of the Court House from 'he
Beginning to the Present Time.
., n rIyo-o If yhs S1pd9y Pa0iaT:

To he Editor Of The Sunday Re0taT:
CLARKsBuRG, W. Va, March 26.-Ihe
County Court of Harrison county seems 10
have gotten its finances and the matter oil
building a new Court House in a most I'M
fortunate condition, and the people are
becoming wrought up to a great degree oil
excitement on the subject. The old Court
| House was sold at the last term OF Court
for the insignificant sum of two dollars
and has now been torn down ana carted
off. and our valuable records OF near D
eentury's accumulation are slowed away
in two rooms of the Bartlett House, a house
for wears regarded unsafe and whose tot
tering walls are the terror OF pedestrians
The Circuit Court is now sitting In the
same building, occupying a room tne
dimensions and appointments OF when
would scarcely meet the requirements OF q
respectable bar-rOom, and the worst oil II
is, that there is no prospect of q change
for the better for two or years to come.
The anxiety of the people IS growing
very great and they not only regret the
present state Of things, but complain Dit
terly that in consequence of the local pa
pers saying so little about it, they "
been kept entirely in the dark as TO what
il going on and in ignorance of the wrong
that was being done them. Being a resi-
dent of the town, | have been constantly
besieged by letter and otherwise Tor III
formation on the subject. | have therefore
determined, in order to get rid Of the a.
most endless task OF answering each sep
arate inquery, to ask the favor of publish
ing in your valuable paper, which Is SO
| widely circulated in this county, the In
formation the people desire.
Some thine ago the attention oil the
Court was called to the necessity oil pro
yiding vaults for the security of the records
in the Clerks offices, and this brought up
the subject of q new court house. Rob-
insOn and Davis, two members OF the
Court, favored q new building. Hayward,
the other member, thought the old one
could be repaired and vaults put in to
answer all present demands. So the ma
iority ruled, and after some delay the
Court advertised generally for plans OF q
new court house. Several plans were fur
nished to the Court by different persons
and were referred to a committee of three
members of the bar appointed by the
Court. Two of the committee adopted q
plan presented by Architect KEN
BILE, of Wheeling. The remaining mem
her recommended the plan OF a gentleman
from Indiana. In this instance the ma,
iority didn't rule, and the Court adopted
the minority report and advertised fol
proposals for building a Court house &C
Cording Othe Indiana mans specifications
which bids were TO be submitted ut q tu'
ture term OF the Court. In the mean time,
in order to enlarge the Court house lot,
the Court purchased the Bartlett property
adjoining, for the sun of $4,000 and PAID
the purchase money. At the following
term of Court there were but two bid:
submitted, one from the Indiana man n
1000 and the other lIom Mayors Il Hell
mick, of Fairmont, this State, ut SAG, 800
The Cont proceeded to answer the bids
and insisted on giving the contract to thu
Western man on account oil some
tcChnicalitv rs to the bond furnished blythe
West Virginia men, and this arrangement
would certainly have been effected had no
a gentleman present protested against sucl
a reckless waste of the peoples money
The Court after earnest solicitation award
ed the contract to the lowest bidders, ant
designated q subsequent day of the tern
for the contractors to give bond Will
security for fulfilling the contract, upol
which day the Court presented to the con
tractors a contract so wholly different from
their former proposal that the refused t.
sign il, aud the matter was dropped will
the understanding it would be again taker
up at the July term. The people of th'
county were almost unanimously agalns
the building of u new court houSe at tina
time: two severe seasons of drOuth and thu
grass hopper plague of the year before hat
effected TO a deplorable extent the finances
of the county. They employed counsel Il
oppose the measure for the present, anC
the Court by an open vote agreed to lay
the matter over for another year, but not
w~ithstandirg this agreement the Court, 1
few days later, at the same term, IN thu
absence of the peoples counsel, in laying
the county levy included in it a 10 cen
tax on which to raise $50, 600 for the new
Court House, and although they made m
contract for the new building they allowed
the distinguished gentleman from Indiana
the liberal fee of 81, 600 for the plans h,
prepared.
4 supersedeas to the levy applied for ~
counsel on behalf of the taxpayers was re
fused by the Circuit Court but was allowed
by the Supreme Court, and on County
Court being served with thu
supersedeas at it's October term, 1sS6, en-
tered upon lis record that it had erred il
making said levy in July, and at once pro
ceeded to make another levy, in which |
again included the 500, 900 and fixed thu
same rate OF Al cents on the 500 taxable
property of the county. To this levy thu
, Circuit Cont granted a supersedeas, and a
its January term, 1887, the County Court
again entered upon its record that it hat
erred and proceeded to levy for 1886, AMI
again included the so, coo, and also$l ,25(
for an alleged contract with LOundes fol
the remainder OF the old Bartlett Hotel lot,
and again fixed the tax at - cents. They
also ut this term, without any advertising
whatever for bids, accepted a bid Of ont
Geo. w. Mayors for the building o.
a new Court House at the price
of $40, 800 and entered an order that after
the tirst day OF March, 1887 the Courts OF
the county should he held in the old
Bartlett Hotel and that the record should
be placed in it, and commissioner was ap
pointed to sell the old court house, fol
ready cash after advertising the sale fol
ten days. As stated before the old Temple
was sold for the enormous sum Of 81. 90,
although all the material, if applied tC
some usful purpose, were worth at least
81 900. The attorney of the tax payer
again applied to the Circuit Court for Q
supersedcas 10 the last levy, which being
refused by that Court has inst been granted
by the Supreme Court, and the county il
now left without n court house and there
can be no money collected for the pur'
pose for II months TO cOme.
DO you wonder that the honest tax
payers are excited and at n loss to know
what 70 do? 1t is said the tax payers ar,
consulting their counsel, in whom they
have great confidence, 10 know what had
best he done. 1t is supposed by many
that he will advise the tax payers to cal
upon the commissioners to resign their
| nficps anil If they decline In do sn IN an.